Mr Eastwood said he felt there was broad agreement that the impact of Brexit could be "potentially disastrous" for both parts of Ireland.

"These are uncharted waters and creative solutions are needed," he said.

He added that withdrawal of significant EU funding in areas close to the border with Northern Ireland would be "catastrophic" for the region and said he had "no confidence" in the prospect of getting similar funding from Westminster.

Louth Fianna Fail TD Declan Breathnach added: "They were exploratory talks on how we would best work and how the 26 counties and the six counties would ensure the post-Brexit impact would be minimised."